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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/23002723">The Speed Date</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/DominatorBot/pseuds/DominatorBot'>DominatorBot</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>The Love Story [1]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Wander Over Yonder (Cartoon)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>F/M</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-03-03</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-03-03</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-01 09:02:05</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>General Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>5,518</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/23002723</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/DominatorBot/pseuds/DominatorBot</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Set after the disastrous events of "My Fair Hatey" our heroes Wander and Sylvia are casually making their way across the galaxy when they stumble upon a Speed Date Event.  They decide to join in for some fun.  But Dominator also hears about the Speed Date and thinks it's the perfect opportunity to crush some hearts.  Little does she know that things aren't going to go the way she thinks...</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Lord Dominator/Wander (Wander Over Yonder)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>The Love Story [1]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/series/1660777</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>2</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>43</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>The Speed Date</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <h1>Wander Over Yonder</h1><p>The cosmos stretched to infinity.  Billions of worlds inside billions of galaxies all with their own stories to tell.  But here we are in a particular galaxy populated with a variety of strange beings.  Some are quite nice and are the helpful sort.  Others are not so nice and have a bad habit of taking things that don't belong to them.  In this galaxy there are two of these nice people who typically get involved with the not-so-nice ones.  At the moment they are traveling between the stars, unprepared for the events about to unfold.  A collision between the nice and the not-so-nice.  This is where the story begins.  Inside a bubble.</p><p>	“Slow day today, huh Sylvia?”  Wander said wearily.  He was playing his banjo but didn't feel like singing.</p><p>	“Makes for a nice change if you ask me.”  Sylvia said happily.</p><p>	Wander had a sudden idea.  “Maybe we can drop in on Lord Hater?”</p><p>	Sylvia groaned.  “No thanks.  I've had enough dealing with villains.”</p><p>	Wander scratched his chin.  “Wonder what Dominator is up to?”</p><p>	“Who cares so long as she isn't within a thousand miles of here.”</p><p>	“Aww, c'mon Syl, there must be someone we can meet and have fun with?”</p><p>	Just then a sudden flash appeared off to their right.</p><p>	“Is that a new star?”  Wander asked wide eyed.</p><p>	Sylvia shielded her eyes.  “I can't tell.”</p><p>	When their eyes adjusted to the new light they saw what had been the cause of it.</p><p>	A stocky alien with slicked back hair and an impeccable sense of style appeared as a hologram above the dazzling planet.<br/>
“Welcome all you beautiful single souls out there.  You have all been invited to the galaxy's one and only Speed Dating Event where we guarantee you will not leave alone!  We use the most advanced technology to determine perfect matches for our guests!  So why wait?  Come in, sign up and have a great time!”</p><p>	“Wander?”</p><p>	“Yes, Sylvia?”</p><p>	“You want to meet someone?  How about thousands of them?”</p><p>	Wander looked down at the shining planet.  Even from this distance he could see all the people queueing up to get in.</p><p>	Wander rubbed the back of his neck.  “It's not exactly what I had in mind.”  He shrugged.  “But it looks like it might be fun.”</p><p>	“And who knows, maybe we'll each find a special someone before the night is over?”  Sylvia winked.</p><p>	Wander smiled, but he felt bad about the secret he was keeping from her.  But now was not the time to say anything.  Instead he said,  “In that case I think it's time we go on...”</p>
<p></p><div class="center">
  <h2>THE SPEED DATE</h2>
</div>Sylvia altered their direction towards the bright and colourful planet and was on the surface in no time.  Wander popped the bubble.  The area they landed in was a spacious garden filled with hundreds of people.  Everyone was queued up outside the main building, which was so big it filled Wander's entire field of vision.  It looked like an old but well maintained palace. “Wow!  This place is amazing!”  Wander noticed a map of the area not far from them and went to look at it.  The palace took up most of the map but her could see that inside were dozens of large halls each being used for a different purpose tonight.  Outside there was, obviously, the garden, a swimming pool that looked more like a lake and a three mile long beach behind the palace.  Wander wanted to see it all.<p>	“C'mon, let's go sign up!”  Sylvia took Wander's hand and dragged him towards the entry booths.  The woman at the entrance had a humanoid body with a pair of lips for a head.  “Welcome to the Speed-Date-athon where we guarantee you won't leave alone.”</p><p>	“Nifty!”  Wander chirped.</p><p>	“First you will need to fill in these questionnaires.  Our sophisticated algorithm system will then match your answers with the ratings you receive from the people you interact with, do some computer stuff then bingo!”</p><p>	“We'll need two please.”</p><p>	“Of course.”  She handed over the forms.  “Be as honest as you can with these.  We want to make sure we can match you with appropriate candidates.  And remember to have fun!”</p><p>	“Oh, we will.  So long as Hater or Dominator don't show up we'll have the time of our lives!”</p>
<p></p><div class="center">
  <p>* * *</p>
</div>“Ugh, I'm so bored!  Is there anything to do in this stupid galaxy?”  Lord Dominator was slumped on her throne.<p>	Dominator Bot 147 spoke up. “PERHAPS YOU WOULD LIKE TO DOMINATE ANOTHER WORLD, LORD DOMINATOR?”</p><p>	“If I wanted to do that Bot 147 I would just do that.”  She slammed her fist onto the throne.  “You idiotic bucket of bolts.”  She blasted the robot with a hot stream of lava, melting it down to a puddle.  “Even destroying you isn't fun.”</p><p>	Bot 28 approached the throne.  “LORD DOMINATOR, I HAVE INTERCEPTED A MESSAGE.   IT IS AN ADVERTISEMENT FOR A SPEED DATING EVENT.  SHALL I PLAY IT?”</p><p>	Dominator suddenly perked up.  This sounded like it might be interesting.  “Play it.”</p><p>	“Welcome all you beautiful single souls out there.  You have all been invited to the galaxy's one and only Speed Dating Event where we guarantee you will not leave alone!  We use the most advanced technology to determine perfect matches for our guests!  So why wait?  Come in, sign up and have a great time!”</p><p>	A small, cruel smile formed on Dominator's lips.  “Well if I can't have fun breaking any planets then why don't I break some hearts instead?”  Dominator laughed maniacally.</p><p>	“Bots!  Take me as close to this planet as you can get without being seen.  I'm going to have some fun tonight.”</p>
<p></p><div class="center">
  <p>* * *</p>
</div>Sylvia stood behind Wander with her arms folded and a scowl on her face.  “Wander I've been ready nearly an hour ago.  What's taking you so long?”<p>	“One of the questions asked me to list things that I like.  So to make it easy I'm listing them in alphabetical order.  Right now I'm at 'F'.”</p><p>	Sylvia face-palmed.  “Wander they only need the basic stuff like your favourite food, or what you do on a sunny day.  Not every single thing that you like.”</p><p>	“But one of my favourite things is to write down a list of my favourite things.”</p><p>	Sylvia swiped the form away from Wander and handed it over to the lip-head lady.  “Hey, I wasn't done with that!”  Wander sulked.</p><p>	“Too bad.  Now can we please get started while I'm still young... ish.”  Sylvia led the way towards the main hall where thousands of single people were gathered.  “Okay, so how this works is pretty straight forward.  You just sit down with someone and chat with them for about four minutes.  When the timer is up you record your rating on this device and move on to the next one.”  Sylvia handed Wander a small, flat device no larger than a business card.  “You type in the name of the person you met and your rating for them.”</p><p>	“Sounds simple enough.”  Wander straightened his hat.</p><p>	Sylvia knelt down to Wander's height.  “I know you don't really want to be here.  Dating isn't your thing.”</p><p>	Wander put up his hands.  “It's not that dating isn't my thing, it's just that I don't date often.”</p><p>	“Fair enough, bud.  In that case, good luck.  It's probably best we split up, so it'll be easier to talk to other people.  I hope you find someone you can click with.”</p><p>	“You too, Syl.”  Wander waited until she was out of sight before he made a move.  Sylvia had been right about him not wanting to be here but he didn't want her getting suspicious and figuring out the truth.</p><p>	Wander was feeling a little overwhelmed among the crowd.  There were a lot of people talking, laughing and moving about.  He wasn't sure about where he had to go so he followed the crowd until they arrived at one of the halls filled with tables.  There was a sense of excitement in the air that was infectious.  But Wander managed to keep himself under control.</p><p>	As the crowd started to pair off Wander noticed a woman sitting alone.  He combed his fur, checked for any odours then casually walked up to the single lady.  His plan was to be as boring as possible.  He had no intention of getting a match tonight.</p><p>	“Well hi there,” he squinted at the name tag, “Joobular.  My name is Wander, pleased to meet ya.”</p><p>	“Sorry, I'm not into fur.”</p><p>	“Oh, well, nice talking with you then.”</p><p>	Wander moved on to the next single lady.  On his way over he thought he heard someone crying.  “Hello... Franilla!”</p><p>	“Too short.”</p><p>	Next table. “My name's Wander.”</p><p>	“Too orange.”</p><p>	Next table.  “Pleased to meet you!”</p><p>	“Too happy.”</p><p>	Wander sighed, at least they were making it easy for him.  Suddenly a man was running through the crowd towards the exit, crying.  He looked very upset, definitely not happy tears.  Wander didn't see where he came from but anyone who could do that to a stranger needs a stern talking to.</p><p>	As he shuffled his way between the tables he noticed a tall woman sitting by herself.  She was wearing clothing that covered every part of her body.  Poor woman must be shy.  Wander was about to move on when the 'shy' woman beckoned him over.  He pointed at himself while wearing a puzzled expression.<br/>
The lady nodded.</p><p>	Wander gulped.  This never happened before.  He felt nervous and also a little bit excited.  Maybe coming here wouldn't be so bad after all.</p>
<p></p><div class="center">
  <p>* * *</p>
</div>Lord Dominator's ship had parked behind a moon.  Her ship's viewscreen showed live footage of all the happy people chatting and having fun.  It was almost too much to bear.  She just wanted to go down there and punch each and every last one in the face.<p>	First, though, she needed a disguise.  She had to wear an outfit that would cover anything that would give her away.  In a place with this many people she ran the risk of being noticed very easily.</p><p>	Opening her wardrobe she sifted through the various articles of clothing she had brought with her.  Most of it was in black.  She picked through one at a time.  “No.  Nope.  Definitely not.”  After dismissing most of her outfits she soon came across one that she liked.  “Oh, this will do nicely.”</p><p>	The outfit she chose was a sleek catsuit.  That should draw her a big crowd.  She tied up her hair and curled it over her head and placed a hat on top.  Then she put on a pair of sunglasses a coat and the disguise was complete.  There was no way anyone was going to recognise her.</p><p>	Dominator rubbed her hands together.  “Time to ruin some lives.”</p><p>	After landing on the planet's surface Dominator wasted no time slipping in to the main hall.  She wasn't about to spend time on a boring document to write about herself.  She already knew exactly what she wanted.</p><p>	Inside the main hall the crowd was larger than she had expected which was just fine with her.  More spirits to crush.  She pushed and shoved her way through the crowd, deliberately tripping up anyone who didn't see her coming.  Sure it was petty but it was also fun.</p><p>	The tables had been laid out and people were starting to sit at them in pairs.  Dominator glanced around the area, eager to find her first victim.  A lot of the people around her were staring at her, probably working up the courage to talk to her.  She couldn't help be intimidating.</p><p>	Her eyes eventually feel on to a young man in the middle of the crowd.  He looked absurdly average and incredibly nervous.  Should be no challenge to pick him apart.</p><p>	Dominator approached the young man, took his hand and led him to the nearest free table.  “I couldn't help but notice you looking at me.”</p><p>	He was sweating like a block of ice in a hot room.  “Oh, um, hello.  I, uh wasn't expecting...”  The man gulped.</p><p>	“What, that someone like me would want to be seen with you?”</p><p>	“That's not..”</p><p>	“I mean you're right.  I can't imagine anyone thinking you're worth dating.”</p><p>	He was starting to turn red.  “S..so why..?!”</p><p>	“Look I'm trying to do you a favour.  You are obviously a spineless, gutless dweeb so take my advice and leave while you can still walk.”</p><p>	The man stumbled on his words, unable to say anything coherent.  Dominator just laughed.</p><p>	“Enjoy the rest of your evening!”  She called after him as he staggered away back into the crowd, tears in his eyes.  “That felt good.  Now for the next one.”</p><p>	Some time and eight broken hearts later Dominator was about to take a break from her destruction when she saw a sight she was not expecting.  The little furry dork Wander had stumbled into her line of sight.  That fuzzy idiot had spent so long trying to hook her up with that loser Lord Hater.  Maybe she could return the favour today.  She was on a roll after all.</p><p>	Raising her hand, she beckoned him over.  And like the fool he was he sauntered over to her with that stupid grin on his face.  Dominator cringed, knowing what was going to happen.</p><p>	“Howdy!  My name's Wander, pleased to meet you... huh you don't have a name tag?  Oh well, that's fine, you can tell me your name.”  He stood with his hand out towards her.  Dominator was going to have fun with this.</p><p>	She accepted his hand.  “You can call me Ro.”</p><p>	“Hello Ro.  You having fun tonight?”</p><p>	“Oh very much so.  Meeting lots of new people and some familiar ones.  Haven't found anyone who really takes my interest yet, but the night is still young.”  She smiled at Wander.</p><p>	Wander gulped.  “I'm sorry Ro but I should be honest with you.”</p><p>	“Oh?  Are you here under false pretences?”  She said coyly.</p><p>	“Well, sort of.  You see my friend really wanted to come here and I came to keep her company.  But I'm not really interested in finding someone.”</p><p>	“I see.”</p><p>	“There's already someone who has taken my heart.  I'm just afraid of what she might do with it.”</p><p>	Ro raised an eyebrow.  He was already in love with someone?  This was the kind of thing she was looking for.  “So who is the lucky lady?”</p><p>	“If I tell you will you promise not to say to anyone?  Especially to my friend.”  This was getting juicier by the minute.</p><p>	She answered in a hushed whisper.  “My lips are sealed.”</p><p>	Wander looked around to make sure no one was close enough to hear him.  He cupped his hands around his mouth and whispered as low as he could.  “Lord Dominator.”</p><p>	Ro felt her eyes widen.  If they were made of glass they would have cracked.  Given a million years to live and she never would have guessed that Wander, of all things, was romantically interested in her.  It was nuts!  How can he think that the two of them...?  An idea suddenly popped into her head.  She could still use this to crush the little twerp.</p><p>	“Dominator?  Bold choice my little orange friend.”</p><p>	Wander sighed.  “Am I crazy?  I mean I know she's not exactly the nicest person in the galaxy but there's so much I adore about her.”</p><p>	Ro stared at him.  Unable to think of a response.</p><p>	Wander had a far-away look in his eye.  “The way she laughs after blowing up a planet.  How her hair drapes around her shoulders.  That cute walk she does.  And as horrible as her plans of galactic destruction are I love her enthusiasm for them.  If I can just get her to see that all this destruction is meaningless then there may be hope for her.  And with that there might be a chance we could be together, if she's interested.”</p><p>	Ro didn't know how to react.  She never heard anyone say things like that about her.  And the look he had in his eyes when talking about her told Ro that his feelings were genuine.  Wander, the nutty little orange freak, was hopelessly in love with her.  She had been blind-sided, she needed time to think, to get away from this place.  This was not going the way she hoped.</p><p>	Wander noticed that Ro had suddenly gone quiet.  “I'm sorry, I probably said too much.  I haven't told anyone about this and I needed to say it out loud.  I just wish there was some way I could let her know without being destroyed in the process.”</p><p>	Ro could feel her cheeks burning.  She hadn't noticed how cute Wander looked.  NO!  Stop that!  He's isn't cute, he's a dork!  All that lovey-dovey junk was messing with her head.  She needed a loser to humiliate.  To remind herself why she was here in the first place.</p><p>	There was a voice that appeared inside her mind.  It was tiny, almost like it wasn't there at all.  It called out to her.  Told her to look past her urge for violence and ask Wander a question.</p><p>	She couldn't believe she was doing this.  “What else do you like?”</p><p>	“Have you ever tried Triple Pickle Pie?”</p><p>	Ro raised an eyebrow.  “I don't think so.”</p><p>	“Well, we'll just have to fix that!”  Wander took her hand.</p><p>	“We do?”</p><p>	He took her away from the meet-and-greet tables and towards the adjacent restaurant.  Ordered two helpings of Triple Pickle Pie and sat down at a candle-lit dinner table.  First he pulled out a chair for Ro before sitting down himself.</p><p>	Ro wasn't quite sure what was happening.  She felt like she was caught in a whirlwind.</p><p>	“Wine?”</p><p>	“Uh, sure.”</p><p>	Wander poured out two glasses then raised his.  “To love!”</p><p>	Ro looked at her filled glass of wine.  She picked it up.  “To love?”</p><p>	They clinked their glasses together.</p><p>	“Hmm, that is good.”  Ro said between mouthfuls.</p><p>	“I know, right!”  Wander finished off his portion then asked, “So what about you?  What do you like?”</p><p>	She was about to say 'blowing stuff up' but that would have given her away.  There had to be something that she liked that didn't include violence and destruction.  Then it came to her.  “I'll have to show you.”</p><p>	“Show me?  That sounds interesting.  Wonder what it could be?”  He asked as he followed her.  She led him to a back door that took them outside.  There was a trail they followed that took them to the beach where only a handful of people were relaxing.  Ro took off her shoes, placed them on the sand and started to dance.</p><p>	Entranced, Wander sat down on the sand unable to take his eyes away from her.  She moved with the grace of a flowing river.  He had seen many people dance before, all of whom were amazing, but he had never seen a dance so captivating.  It was like she wasn't just dancing but moving to the flow of the Universe.  Wander never saw anything like it before.</p><p>	“Ro.  That.  Was.  The most beautiful thing I have ever seen.”</p><p>	Ro beamed.  “You think so?”</p><p>	Wander got up from the sand.  “I've been all over this galaxy, seen many amazing things.  But that was the most beautiful expression of a soul I have ever seen.”</p><p>	Ro turned her eyes away from him.  She never danced for an anyone before not even in front of the Bots.  It had always been her private thing.  But sharing it with Wander today felt... good.</p><p>	There was silence for a while.  A sense of awkwardness fell onto them.  Wander desperately wanted to do, well, anything to break the silence.  So he kicked some sand at Ro's feet.  “Bet you can't catch me!”  He ran off down the beach.</p><p>	Laughing, Ro started to give chase.  “You won't get far from me!”</p><p>	And she was right.  Wander didn't get much distance between them as Ro quickly caught up with him and tackled him to the ground.  They rolled about on the sand until Ro had him pinned down.  For what felt like an eternity they just stared at each other.  Their eyes locked.  Ro felt an urge then, to move in close, to do something she hadn't done with any sincerity in a long time.</p><p>	Snapping out of the situation she recoiled away from Wander and feel on her backside.  What was happening?  Did he put a spell on her or something?  She felt her anger rising, like magma in a volcano.</p><p>	“Here, let me help you up.”  Wander held out his hand.</p><p>	Ro slapped it away.  “I don't need your help.”  She got back on her feet.  “This was a mistake.  I don't want to see you again.”</p><p>	And there it was.  The look she had been waiting for.  Utter devastation.  It should have been the funniest thing she had ever seen.  The stupid happy-go-lucky weirdo had his heart broken.  She waited for it to come, her maniacal laugh, but there was only the sounds of a light breeze and shifting sand.</p><p>	Without saying anything she stormed away, back inside the main hall.  Her impulse was to leave, get back to her ship then bring it here and destroy this horrible planet.  But something caught her eye on the way out.  Wander's friend - Cybil?  Susan? Whatever – was chatting it up with the man she thoroughly humiliated at the start of the night.</p><p>	She started to ponder.  What should she do?  Then she saw her answer.</p>
<p></p><div class="center">
  <p>* * *</p>
</div>Wander slowly walked back up the trail to the main hall.  He had his head down and was dragging his hat behind him.  The night had been going so well, what had happened?  Was Ro afraid of getting close to someone?  Was she doing the same thing that he was?  Holding out for someone that they could never be with?  There were so many questions but he felt too sick to find the answers.  Instead he felt like drowning his sorrows in milk.<p>	It surprised him that he had developed these feelings for someone he had just met.  Did that also mean that he didn't have to pine over Dominator any more?  If romance was possible with Ro surely it was possible elsewhere.  The galaxy is a big place after all.</p><p>	Dominator.  No matter who he is with and how he feels about them his mind inevitably drifts back to her.  Why?  It almost seemed like a joke, a joke without a punchline.</p><p>	The main hall was still filled with people but they were now gathered around a row of terminals.  Wander couldn't see what they were looking at but he had an idea.  It was probably the results of the matching.  Everyone rated.  Everyone finding love.  Good for them.  Everyone deserves to be happy.</p><p>	Sylvia was at the terminal along with a man Wander thinks he recognises.  They looked happy.  His heart felt a little better at seeing his friend like that.</p><p>	“Nice one, Wander.”  Sylvia called out to him.</p><p>	“Huh?”</p><p>	“You have a match!  Someone called Ro?”</p><p>	Wander titled his head.  After what happened he didn't think Ro would have rated him.  So did that mean...?</p><p>	“I thought to myself 'You may as well see how well you match before making any decisions.'  And I'm glad I did.”  Ro looked into his eyes and saw an emotion she had never seen before.  There was a loving warmth in his gaze and it was meant only for her.  She took him by the arm.  “Let's go back outside.”</p><p>	Sylvia watched as the two left through the back door.  “Never thought I'd see the day.”</p><p>	They walked down to the beach and sat side-by-side on the sand.</p><p>	“Have you ever stopped and just looked at the galaxy?  Hundreds of colourful worlds filling the space between the stars.  Nebulae spreading out in all directions.  There are some scary things out there, sure.  But even the most deadly planets have their own beauty.  And every day I look out towards the cosmos I am happy.  Happy knowing that the Universe has people like you in it.”</p><p>	Her glasses obscured her eyes but Wander could see a tear sliding its way down her right cheek.  He rested his head against her arm, content to just sit and watch the twinkling stars.</p><p>	Ro felt a surge of rivalling emotions.  Her mind was tearing itself apart trying to figure out what it wanted.  She was worried that in her confusion she would lash out and destroy what had been built here.  Destroy.  That's what she was supposed to do, wasn't it?  To destroy everything?  Set the galaxy ablaze.  Then that voice from before returned.  The one that set her down this path to begin with.  She wanted desperately to ignore it, to return to who she was before the night began.  But she couldn't.  The voice was louder now.  And she knew what it was.  And what it wanted.</p><p>	Ro turned towards Wander, put her hand under his chin to raise his head.  To look her in the eyes.  And kissed.  She felt an explosion both inside and out.  It was a sensation unlike anything she had ever felt.  Even the fur didn't bother her like she thought it would.  When they pulled apart, Wander reached out to take her sunglasses.  She stopped his hand.</p><p>	“I want to see you.  I want to look into your eyes.”</p><p>	Ro slowly released his hand.  Wander grabbed the edge of her sunglasses and...</p><p>	“Wander!  Didn't you see that explosion?  We gotta get out of here.”  Sylvia came running towards them.</p><p>	Wander and Ro both turned their heads out towards the sea.  There had been an explosion all right.  The Skullship was in orbit and it had a large laser cannon pointed right at the planet.</p><p>	“Greetings lovebirds.  It is I, LORD HATER!  And I have come to put an end to your little romances.  If I can't find love then no one will!  Peepers!  Charge the cannon!”</p><p>	“Oh dear, this is all my fault.”  Wander gasped.</p><p>	Ro stared hard at the Skullship.  She knew of a quick way to end this.</p><p>	“I need to go to him.”</p><p>	“What?  But..”</p><p>	“I know, but this planet is in danger.  I have to do something.”</p><p>	Ro looked between him and the Skullship before making up her mind.  “Do what you have to do.”</p><p>	Wander nodded then hopped on to Sylvia's back and created a bubble.  The two friends then launched towards the Skullship.</p><p>	Ro removed her sunglasses and dropped them on to the sand.  She looked up at the Skullship then brought her wrist communicator to her mouth.  “Bot 47, bring the ship around.”</p><p>	“IS IT TIME TO DOMINATE THIS WORLD?”</p><p>	She didn't answer.</p><p>	“LORD DOMINATOR?”</p><p>	“Just bring the ship in and send a Bot down with my armour.”</p>
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  <p>* * *</p>
</div>Wander and Sylvia boarded the Skullship as easily as they have always done.  They knew every passcode, defence system and the names of all the guards.  It was almost as easy as opening a front door.<p>	“Peepers why is it taking so long to charge this stupid laser!”</p><p>	“I'm sorry sir but it needs to be super charged if you want it to destroy the whole planet.  And that takes time.”</p><p>	“Hey Hatey, whatcha up to?”</p><p>	“Wander.  Of course you would show up.  Every time I try to do something fun you're there to ruin it.  Well not this time.  There's nothing you can say that will stop me from blowing up this miserable planet!”</p><p>	Wander looked at Hater, he saw the pain the skeleton man was hiding behind his bravado.  “I'm sorry.”</p><p>	Hater blinked.  “For what exactly?”</p><p>	“I didn't mean for your feelings to be hurt.  I genuinely thought that you and Dominator were perfect for each other.  But if there is one thing I've learned tonight is that your love isn't restricted to one person.  It's a big ol' galaxy Hater and I bet if you look a little harder and a little more carefully you will find the person who is right for you.”</p><p>	Hater narrowed his eyes.  “I'm going to destroy this planet Wander and there's nothing you can do about it.”</p><p>	“But I can!”  Sylvia charged at Peepers and punched him dead centre in the eye.  The force of her punch sent the Commander tumbling back into Hater, knocking him off his feet.</p><p>	Peepers picked himself up from the floor then helped Hater onto his feet.  “Doesn't matter what you do Zbornak.  The laser is on automatic.  Soon as the charge is done, any second now, that planet will be no more.”</p><p>	Sylvia gasped and ran over to the laser operation terminal.  She never took the time to understand any of the commands in the Skullship so she did the next best thing and tried ripping the console off the wall.</p><p>	Hater roared while zapping a bolt of green lightning at Sylvia.  She didn't have time to react and took the hit.  There was a sizzling sound, then she dropped to the floor.</p><p>	“Sylvia!”  Wander ran over to his friend.  He sat down beside her, rested her head on his legs.</p><p>	Hater approached them, his body wrapped in green electricity.  “I told you Wander, nothing will stop me this time.”</p><p>	“Oh really?”</p><p>	“Huh?”</p><p>	“This is my planet now Lord Hater.  So you better skedaddle before I turn your pathetic ship into ash.”</p><p>	“Dominator!”  Hater looked out the viewport and sure enough Lord Dominator's ship was opposite his own.</p><p>	“Well duh it's me!  Did you really think I would let you destroy a planet?  In case you forgot, that's my job.”</p><p>	“Well too bad.  'cause this world's a goner in, like, a minute so you're too late.”  Hater chuckled.  It felt good to get one up on Dominator for a change.</p><p>	The laser had fully charged and started powering for the shot.  Wander looked up at Hater with pleading eyes.  “Please Hater, you don't have to do this.”</p><p>	Hater didn't take his eyes away from the soon-to-be-destroyed planet.  “I know.”</p><p>	Wander tilted his head in confusion, he wasn't sure but he thought he heard a hint of sadness in his voice.  The charge was ready and the laser fired.</p><p>	There was a massive explosion.  It was so bright it lit up the Skullship, nearly blinding everyone on the bridge.  As the light faded they all saw the damage that was done.  The planet was intact.  But Lord Dominator's ship was not.  The core looked to be fine but a large portion of the front of the ship was blown apart.</p><p>	“What happened?”</p><p>	Before he could finish the question Lord Dominator's ship used whatever power it had to fire a missile at the Skullship.</p><p>	“Peepers!  Get us out of here!”  He suddenly remembered Wander was onboard but when he tried to find him he was gone.  Hater stood silently as the Watchdogs scrambled to move the ship away from Dominator.  Even with the heavy damage to her ship she was still a deadly opponent.</p><p>	The Skullship sped away.</p>
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  <p>* * *</p>
</div>Wander and Sylvia returned to the planet below, avoiding the debris from Dominator's ship.  When they landed on the surface they were met with stunned silence.  For a second they didn't understand why until they noticed Lord Dominator standing on the beach, looking up at her broken ship.  Wander looked at Sylvia who was shaking her head.  “Don't do it Wander.”<p>	“I have to.”  He climbed down from Sylvia's back and quickly ran over to the most dangerous person in the galaxy.  “I'm sorry about your ship.  Hey, it looks like it's already starting to repair itself.”</p><p>	“Yeah.” Wander was surprised.  It wasn't the response he was expecting.</p><p>	“How long do you think that will take?”</p><p>	“Days maybe weeks.”</p><p>	Wander shuffled his feet.  “If you want you can stay for a while.  There's plenty of food and lots of people to meet!  Heck, maybe we can even get you on the dance-floor.”</p><p>	Dominator chuckled.  “I've danced enough for one night.”</p><p>	Wander raised an eyebrow.  And before he could ask her what she meant she turned to face him.  He forgot how intimidating she was up close.  She stretched out her left hand and dropped something onto the sand.  Wander looked at the object, a sudden realization hitting him like a freight train.  He looked back up at her.  She winked, then launched herself upwards towards her damaged ship.</p><p>	Wander's mouth hung open.  His eyes as wide as saucers.  Sylvia was standing behind him.</p><p>	“Never seen her leave a place quietly before.  Wonder what that was all about?  Hey look a pair of sunglasses.”  She picked them up.  “Know who they belong to?”</p><p>	Wander slowly nodded his head.</p><p>	“Great.  You may as well take them and return them to their owner.”  She placed the sunglasses into his hands.  “By the way, where's your match?  Uh, Ro, was it?”</p><p>	“I'll find her.”  He looked down at the sunglasses.  “I'll find her.”</p><p>	Suddenly Dominator's ship powered up and quickly left the system, leaving a trail of lava in it's wake.</p>
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    <em>To Be Continued...
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